Artemisia ~ Wormwood ~ Sage (Sage Sickness)

 

It’s been 16 days since Apache’s first ataxia symptoms began and 15 days since I’ve put Apache back on her regular diet, plus as much straight grass hay as she desires. It’s been 5 days since I started cutting and removing the sage from our pasture and paddocks (Still have a lot more to go, but I’m getting there little by little).

Finally, and thankfully, it’s been 12 days since I’ve noticed any ataxia and stumbling symptoms.

I’m still guarded, but I believe Apache is out of the woods and on the way to recovery. Her behavior and attitude seem much improved and more like the Apache I know and love. She’s not as irritable, annoyed, impatient, and overly reactive as she was last month when the symptoms began.

I’m grateful for the internet that provides opportunities to do research, or else I would have never known about sage sickness and poisoning.

I’m also grateful for my vet who explained it more in detail and shared a most excellent book, “A Guide to Plant Poisoning of Animals in North America”, that every vet, and every animal owner should have on their bookshelf.

  

I’m pretty sure Apache’s been munching and nibbling on sage long before her ataxia symptoms began, because I could often smell it on her breath.

(This is a part of her pasture/paddock. Notice the sage bushes)

But when her diet changed during the week that I was incapacitated, Apache most likely went into a full-on binge eating of sage. And with less of her normal feed to eat, the sage toxins built up in her system and made her sick and intoxicated. Ranchman John also didn’t give her any apples or carrots like I do every day. (gasp!) Poor Apache.

  

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Just a little history for those of who dig that sort of thing. I thought it was way cool.

(Artemisia spp.)

Artemis was Apollo's twin sister and daughter of Zeus and Leto; she was the equivalent of the Greek Diana, great Olympian goddess of hunting, wilderness and wild animals.

She was also a goddess of childbirth, and the protectress of the girl child up to the age of marriage. Her twin brother Apollo was similarly the protector of the boy child.

(Artemis and Apollo)

Together the two gods were also bringers of sudden death and disease--Artemis targeted women and girls, and Apollo men and boys. Artemis, as the legend states, derived so much good from plants of this kind that all such plants are named for her.

 

Another interesting etymology: the genus is also said to be named for Artemisia, historical Queen of Caria (in present day Turkey) who was a "noted botanist, medical researcher, leader and scholar".

(That’s Queen Artemisia blowing her horn below.)

 

Did you know that "Wormwood" is the common name often applied to a number of Sage plants?

Wormwood, has been used for centuries as a moth repellant, general pesticide and as a tea/spray to repel slugs and snails. Before its' toxicity was known it was used as the name implies: a worming medicine for people and animals.

Historic references to wormwood go back as far as 1600 B.C. in Egypt. Wormwood leaves contain absinthin a substance which can be toxic to other plants. You may have heard of the alcoholic drink "absinthe" a green colored beverage that is now illegal in most countries. And rightfully so as it has been said that the painter Vincent van Gogh was imbibing of absinthe when he lopped off his ear to send to a woman.

The absinthin being water soluble will wash off the plant’s leaves and leach into the soil interfering and stunting the growth of other plants in close proximity. Which is why it’s rare to see other plants co-exisiting with sage. Artemisia tends to take over and be very invasive in fields and pastures.

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(Map of Range of Artemisia Filifolia

Numerous species of sagebrush grow in the western United States and are useful forage plants for wild and domestic ruminants. Horses also eat sage without problem provided they are not forced to eat it exclusively when other forages are scarce.

(There is basically nothing else to eat in Apache’s paddocks, besides short cropped grass, weeds and sage. You bloggers with fields of lush green grass to feed your horses all year, count yourself lucky.)

Under adverse conditions horses will readily eat sagebrush and will become intoxicated. A syndrome called "sage sickness" has been reported in horses that eat Sand Sage (Artemis filifolia).

Fringed sage or Silver sage (Artemisia frigida) also causes similar signs of poisoning in horses.

(This fringed sage is located in our backyard. We seem to have a number of different sage plants on our property)

Sage poisoned horses exhibit abnormal behavior characterized by ataxia especially of the front legs, and a tendency to fall down or act abnormally to stimuli that would not normally elicit such a response. (Well this just might explain why Apache over-reacted with me trying to desensitize her to a raven feather!)

(Apache is staring at my neighbor friend’s horses who are in a corner of their arena)

 

Normally docile horses will become excitable and unpredictable.

(Note: Apache kicked me in the face just 7 days before her ataxia symptoms appeared. I’m prone to believe that the sage toxins we’re already building up in her body, especially neurologically, in her brain, before the physical symptoms affected her.)

The smell of sage is often very noticeable on the breath. The clinical signs closely resemble those of horses that have been poisoned by locoweeds (Oxytropis and Astragalus spp). However, unlike "locoed" horses that do not recover once clinical signs are evident, sage poisoned horses generally recover once they are removed from the sage and are fed a normal balanced diet.

*Reference: Poisonous Plants on Colorado's Trails - Tony Knight of Colorado State University (www.vth.colostate.edu/poisonous_plants)

*Reference: A Guide to Plant Poisoning of Animals in North America (http://www.tetonnm.com/plantctoc.html)